With municipal elections approaching on November 7, MVP wants to express the importance of making your voice heard in local government.
Vote for the future of our community. Oftentimes, your vote in local elections can have a larger impact on your daily life than national elections. Your vote in Greenwich can directly impact who is making budget decisions, public education decisions, zoning decisions, property tax decisions, and more. Voting in local elections is a perfect example of how elected officials must represent the interests of their constituents. You owe it to yourself, your family, and your community to raise your voice and vote for who you would like to see in Town Hall making decisions for all of us.
Now, to help you connect important topics and the elected officials who make an impact on those topics, MVP has researched some of the most important issues on the minds of Greenwich citizens right now. Check it out!
1. Public Education: Curriculum Changes
The Board of Education makes decisions about the public schools in our district. Whether that is regarding curricula, accessibility, every day regulations, and more, the BOE oversees and maintains the fifteen total public schools in town. Each member of the BOE has different responsibilities, which can be viewed on their website here. Among these responsibilities is the management of district curricula and any changes made to them. You can keep up with BOE meetings, agendas, and decisions on their website!
2. Zoning: Affordable Housing
Local zoning projects are handled by the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Planning and Zoning Commission is a regulatory body composed of five regular members and three alternates who are appointed by the Representative Town Meeting and nominated by the Board of Selectmen. Members of the RTM and Board of Selectmen are elected by us, the people, and subsequently have the power to nominate these critical committees.
3. 2024-2025 Town Budget: Spending Allocation
One of the biggest and most important issues each year is the work to complete the annual town budget. The First Selectman writes and proposes town budgets and submits them to the Board of Estimation and Taxation for revision and approval. This can be a lengthy process with hearings between the two offices to finalize and approve the budget. The Town budget is the annual spending plan, deciding how funds are allocated to different town-led programs and initiatives such as public education, new building projects, town facilities, and more. These decisions can be extremely important to our community as we see how our town doles out funding each year.
4. Infrastructure: New Roads & Bike Lanes
The Department of Public Works makes decisions about and works on infrastructure related projects. They report to the First Selectman. It is headed by the Commissioner of Public Works, who is responsible for all matters. You can learn more about their current projects on the Department of Public Works website.
Have anything else to add to the list? Comment here, connect on our social media, or send us an email.
MVP wants to highlight that the biggest issues that affect our town are directly impacted by those we vote into office. When you make your voice heard and participate in local elections, you are directly responsible for putting officials in power who make choices for our community.
Do your own research on local issues, candidate stances, and more! Check out local publications like Greenwich Time, Greenwich Patch, Greenwich Sentinel, Greenwich Free Press, CT Post, and more to read up on the issues that you’re passionate about before election day!